\ ˈsü 
\
\sued; suing
Definition of sue
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to seek justice or right from (a person) by legal process specifically : to bring an action against
b : to proceed with and follow up (a legal action) to proper termination
3 obsolete : to make petition to or for
Sue
biographical name\ ˈsü , ˈsᵫ \
, ˈsᵫ \Definition of Sue (Entry 2 of 2)
Eugène 1804–1857 originally Marie-Joseph Sue French novelist
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Examples of sue in a Sentence
Verb
Some people sue over the most minor things.
People injured in accidents caused by the defective tire have threatened to sue.
They've threatened to sue the company.
He is suing the doctor who performed the unnecessary surgery.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb For years, Texas schools have struggled to provide special education services and advocates say parents have had to beg or threaten to sue in order to get their children evaluated for special needs.
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Krista Torralva, ExpressNews.com, "Following statewide trend, Northside, North East ISDs restrain Black and special ed children at disproportionate rates, report finds," 26 Dec. 2020 Existing laws have funneled most employee claims against employers into workers’ compensation systems, which don’t typically award the large sums sought by trial attorneys who can sue for pain and suffering in the courts.
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Jacob Gershman, WSJ, "Businesses Feared a Flood of Covid-19 Lawsuits. It Hasn’t Happened.," 24 Dec. 2020 The Supreme Court on Monday questioned whether descendants of Holocaust victims should be allowed to sue Germany and Hungary in United States courts.
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Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "Supreme Court questions Holocaust survivors' ability to sue Germany and Hungary in US courts," 7 Dec. 2020 In dismissing the lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen also said the Republicans lacked the standing to sue because their complaint — that Harris County was breaking the law — alleged a general harm that did not particularly affect them.
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Chuck Lindell, USA TODAY, "Federal judge strikes down GOP lawsuit attempting to discard 127,000 drive-thru votes in Texas," 2 Nov. 2020 The Supreme Court of Virginia later threw out their case, saying the plaintiffs had no legal standing to sue.
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Washington Post, "Trial to get underway over Northam’s effort to remove Richmond statue of Robert E. Lee," 19 Oct. 2020 The appeals court upheld that ruling on Tuesday, saying the Republican National Committee, Wisconsin Republican Party and state Legislature did not have the legal standing to sue.
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Scott Bauer, Star Tribune, "GOP asks full appeals court to hear Wisconsin absentee case," 1 Oct. 2020 Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rejects the Texas lawsuit against four battleground states, saying that Texas lacks standing to sue Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
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Siraj Hashmi, Washington Examiner, "White House Weekly: December 15," 15 Dec. 2020 While an attempt to sue GSK in federal court was dismissed by a judge on procedural grounds, the couple also sued GSK in state court in Philadelphia, where its US headquarters is located.
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James Griffiths, CNN, "Peter Humphrey was once locked up in China. Now he advises other prisoners and their families how to take on Beijing," 13 Dec. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sue
sue
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of sue
: to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something : to bring a lawsuit against someone or something
See the full definition for sue in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sue
verb\ ˈsü \
\sued; suing
Kids Definition of sue
: to seek justice or right by bringing legal action
sue
verbsued; suing
Legal Definition of sue
: to bring an action against : seek justice from by legal process
: to bring an action in court
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Comments on sue
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Time Traveler for sue
The first known use of sue was in the 14th century
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